Jonelle Patrick's Blog, page 39

Jolly Despot Costumes I Would Regret

 

Is it my imagination, or is this costume designed to resemble everyone’s favorite dictator-for-life?

Recently I discovered this primo autocrat disguise, so you can give fellow revelers a choice: laugh at your jokes…or quake in fear as missiles are pointed in your general direction.

Jonelle Patrick is the author of the Only In Tokyo mystery series,  published by Penguin/Intermix.

Haunted Prison Restaurant? Yes, Please!

 

Abandon sanity, all ye who enter here!

Do you even have to ask? Of course Tokyo has a restaurant where you get locked into a cell and made to drink cocktails with eyeballs in them!

The creepiness grabs hold of you the second you figure out how to get through the hidden door and head down into the Lock-Up’s dungeon.

Inside, a prison guard promptly whips your most dangerous-looking team member into a pair of handcuffs and marches you to your grimy-lookin’ cell…

…where you’re forced to mix your own alcoholic experiment from a selection of test tubes, and down cocktails made from…well, best not to know.

If you’ve been especially bad, you’re made to take your medicine from a rusty IV stand…

…and eat bloody eyeball eggs until the monsters arrive!

Every group gets their own private cell, and each seating features a monster show with live cast members roaming the prison. Food is fairly decent, with well-executed prison-themed names and styling. The drinks were awesomely photo-worthy, but super sweet, so be warned. (A big plus is that they offered non-alcoholic versions of the best ones, so kids and non-drinkers could be punished I mean get in on the fun too.) Menu is only in Japanese, but it has pictures, so ordering isn’t a problem. There are three locations in Tokyo – Shibuya, Shinjuku & Ikebukuro – and reservations are a must. Here’s the reservations number for all three restaurants:  03-5728-7731.

If you’d like to go to the Lock-Up the next time you’re in Tokyo, maps to the Shinjuku, Shibuya and Ikebukuro locations are on my website, The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had. Special thanks to my friend Kendall Bailey, for being the sacrificial prisoner!

Jonelle Patrick is the author of the Only In Tokyo mystery series,  published by Penguin/Intermix.

Give Yourself A Tooth Manicure

Want to perk up those pearly whites a bit, but don’t want to choose between paying for cosmetic dentistry and getting a new car? This Japanese tooth makeup is for you!

For less than twenty bucks, Tooth Makeup is basically nail polish for your choppers! Yes, just choose the shade you’d like your new smile to be, paint it on, and you’re ready for your close-up!

Jonelle Patrick is the author of the Only In Tokyo mystery series,  published by Penguin/Intermix.

Vending Machine Panties…

…for your water bottle! (*_*)

Yes, Japanese PET bottles have suddenly developed a sense of modesty after years of flaunting their unseemly summer nudity, and now there are gachagacha vending machines devoted to dispensing adorable undies for every occasion!

But apparently PET bottles aren’t the only inanimate objects suddenly ashamed of their nakedness. I mean, as soon as I stepped out for an onigiri, Daruma-san, maneki neko and even my phone wrestled those drinks to the ground and made off with the new lingerie!

Caught in the act!

Jonelle Patrick is the author of the Only In Tokyo mystery series,  published by Penguin/Intermix.

Subway Safety For Rockabillies

Tokyo Metro’s subway safety posters always crack me up, because they all seem to be earnestly designed by Captain Obvious, but this one actually made me laugh with it, not at it.

I mean DUH you’d have to be an idiot to know you shouldn’t prance along the scary side of the yellow line while drunk or shove unsuspecting fellow commuters into the path of an oncoming train with your luggage, but ending up in the danger zone due to being whapped by a righteous rockabilly pompadour? YES PLEASE.

Jonelle Patrick is the author of the Only In Tokyo mystery series,  published by Penguin/Intermix.

I Saw A New Wild Animal In Tokyo!

Walking home late one night, a flicker of unexpected movement caught my eye. When I looked up, there was something scampering along the phone lines above my head!

A cat? A rat? No it was BIG.

Sorry these photos are so crap – the only camera I had with me was my phone!

At first, I thought it might be a tanuki, but it was the wrong shape. It had a long body and an even longer tail, that it was flinging about in a rather comical way for balance as it walloped along the wires.

When I got home, the first thing I did was google Wild Animals Tokyo, and guess what? It’s a Masked Palm Civet! Hakubishin, in Japanese.

Thank you, Wikipedia, for a much better pic. You can read more factoids about these fine furry friends on the Masked Palm Civet page.

They’re native to most of Asia, and came to Japan long ago enough for most sources to consider them “native” here too. I also discovered that they sometimes invade peoples’ crawlspaces and make a hella big mess (reducing their cuteness score among home owners) but usually they live up in the trees, which explains how they got so good at shinnying along wires.

They also apparently remember a good thing when they see it, because if they locate a fine source of snacks, they tend to use the same route to get there every day. Which is why I always walk home with my head in the air now, hoping for another spotting!

I saw this one in Hiroo, near the French Embassy. Has anybody seen them in other places around Tokyo?

Jonelle Patrick is the author of the Only In Tokyo mystery series,  published by Penguin/Intermix.

Help, There’s A Hamster In My Drink!

Lately in Japan there’s been an explosion of vending machines selling little characters that perch on the side of your glass, so you never have to drink alone. But none of them has been nearly as cute as HAMSTERS.

Well, okay, at first glance, spotting seven of them scrambling to get at your drink before you do might be a tad off-putting…

…but once you get used to the idea of sharing your libation with a plastic rodent, you’ll never want to hoist a cold one without it!

Jonelle Patrick is the author of the Only In Tokyo mystery series,  published by Penguin/Intermix.

Princess Kimono, Animal Style

The bunnies will be all over you at the rabbit café when you swan in wearing this bun-centric obi.

Obscure seasonal references to geese and crows? So tenth century! Leaf viewing and strolling beneath the cherry blossoms? Been there, called it a cab.

Let’s strap on our princess kimonos and hit the animal cafés instead!

Coming or going, let’s show those cat café denizens how “disdainful stare” is done.

Or lull them into complacency from a distance with what looks like a proper traditional outfit, when you’re actually rolling in kittycat hijinks.

And if this cat purse and wrap aren’t must-haves for all kimono princesses, revoke my license.

Diamonds and pearls? Meh. Diamonds and squirrels? Now we’re talking!

Birds than merely sing prettily are out; birds that build decoy nests to fool their enemies are in.

Panda viewing at the Ueno Zoo? Why would you wear anything else?

Hold your own at Fox Village in this predator-worthy princess look.

And let’s show them who’s boss when the royal we arrive at Bunny Island!

Thanks to Kimono Hime magazine (#10 & #12) for the gorgeous new style kimono photos. For more fab kimono hime looks, check out New Type Kimono: Maximum Princess, Make Mine Princess Style & More Alike Than You Might Think!

Jonelle Patrick is the author of the Only In Tokyo mystery series,  published by Penguin/Intermix.

And this is the princess-style kimono worn by part time English translator Yumi Hata in Nightshade .  If you like a good mystery set in Japan, check out the first few chapters here!

The Cute Little Toilet

I never expected to be ambushed by cuteness at a highway rest stop bathroom, but check out this tiny toilet for tots!（≧∇≦）

Jonelle Patrick is the author of the Only In Tokyo mystery series,  published by Penguin/Intermix.

Cutest Little Toilet EVER

I never expected to be ambushed by cuteness at a highway rest stop bathroom, but check out this tiny toilet for tots!（≧∇≦）

Jonelle Patrick is the author of the Only In Tokyo mystery series,  published by Penguin/Intermix.